Luke 2:1-7
(A tower similar to what Migdal Eder might have looked like.)
CONTEXT: Read Genesis 35:16-22.
Perhaps God intended for there to be no room in the inn. Maybe He wanted His Son to be born in a stone manger in a very special place: Migdal Eder, the Tower of the Flock as the paschal lamb of God.
At the time of Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem had a population of about three hundred and was the area where Levitical shepherds raised lambs for sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem. Keeping the young lambs safe and clean was not an easy task in this rocky area, so the chosen lambs were protected by wrapping them in strips of cloth known as swaddling cloth. The cloths kept the lamb warm and calm. Any blemish from a scrape or injury would require the lamb to be rejected for Temple sacrifice. The swaddling cloths or bands hung on posts and found a new use on this holy night to cover and warm the baby Jesus.
When Mary and Joseph got to Bethlehem, housing was a problem: there were no hotels or inns as we know today. They needed to find a relative to take them in or to find a stranger who would willingly offer them a room in their home for a price. But we know that didn’t happen.
To complicate things, it was obvious Mary was about to give birth, which meant that blood would be shed, making the host’s home ceremonially unclean, a great inconvenience at a busy time. Mary and Joseph’s had to accept the only accommodation available: a stable or cave of some sort.
It is most likely Jesus was born at Migdal Eder or the Tower of the Flock. This watchtower from ancient times was used by the shepherds for protection from their enemies and wild beasts who stalked the flocks. It was also where they brought the ewes to deliver their lambs.
Migdal Eder was located about 2,000 paces from Bethlehem, on the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. It is mentioned in Genesis 35:21 and Micah 4:8.
On that night at Migdal Eder, the scriptures, history, and setting all fit together. Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem, at Migdal Eder, and then placed in the stone manger used only for the birth of sacrificial lambs. The significance of Jesus’ birth is that in God’s time, His son came exactly as the Father had promised.
Jesus, the fulfillment of all God’s promises, was born in a place
full of the history of His people.
1. Bethlehem.
A. Name = “House of Bread/Food.” In John 6:35, Jesus referred to Himself as the “Bread of Life,” making that connection to His birthplace.
B. Location = In the southern part of the hill country of Judea, ten miles south of the city of Jerusalem.
C. Reputation = Bethlehem supplied lambs for sacrifice. In Jesus’ time, shepherds were looked upon with suspicion and dislike. As this was the main industry in Bethlehem, the most value Bethlehem had for a Jew of that time was its historical connection to King David.
D. Role in Jesus’ life = It was, in fulfillment of prophecies, the site of the birth of the Messiah, the man whom God had promised to send to redeem his people Israel. There is no evidence that Jesus ever returned there.
2. God used the “Emperor of the World” to get the holy family to Bethlehem. (1-5)
The word translated as EMPIRE in verse one is translated elsewhere in Luke’s Gospel as “world.” In Luke’s view that the entire world was turned upside down by the Roman emperor’s insistence that his subjects be numbered. If Caesar wanted a census, Caesar got a census. The people would be less thrilled,
as a census was a prelude to new taxes all and a military draft.
Here was God’s problem: He had a mother and a husband all lined out, but they were in Nazareth, 100 miles north of Bethlehem, where He’d promised the Messiah would be born. God is in the details, so this is important. The way God got them from Nazareth to Bethlehem was to direct the mind of Caesar (who thought he was a god) to call for a census. This census would require everyone to return to their family’s place of origin to register. Because JOSEPH WAS A DESCENDENT OF KING DAVID (v. 4), his place of registration was Bethlehem, the place of his birth.
This had the benefit of getting the couple out of Nazareth where tongues were undoubtedly wagging about Mary’s “unplanned pregnancy.”
3. The record of the Savior’s birth. (6-7)
Verse six calls Jesus Mary’s FIRSTBORN SON. While this implies that Mary would have other children, the more important point is found in the Old Testament’s preeminence of first things.
In Numbers 3:31-33 God claimed all the firstborn sons of Israel as His own. This was an extension of God’s claim to the firstfruits of the harvest and the firstborn of all the flocks. This is a sign of the sacredness, the holiness of God.
Mary WRAPPED baby Jesus SNUGLY IN STRIPS OF CLOTH. This implies Jesus was well cared-for. Wrapping the limbs with strips of cloth was customary care for newborns. Mary may’ve brought such strips with her, but I like to think she used the cloths stored in the tower as it makes the point of Jesus being the Lamb of God. That Mary had to do this herself implies a lonely birth. She had no midwife to wrap the baby’s limbs for her.
Luke mentions three times Jesus was laid in a manger (2:7, 12, 16). His point is the incredible contrast between the glory of heaven and the poverty of Jesus’ birth. God became man in the lowest circumstance.
Jesus, the fulfillment of all God’s promises, was born in a place
full of the history of His people.
“Santa” - Author Unknown
I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I remember tearing across town on my bike on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"
I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. Grandma was home, and her cinnamon buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything sister had said.
"No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go." I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun when we hustled off to Kerby's General Store. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car."
I was only eight years old. I'd never shopped for anything all by myself. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten- dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's .... for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it -- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining that we were now and forever one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."
I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally, it did open and there stood Bobby.
Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes and the look on his face. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.
I still have the Bible, with the tag tucked inside: $19.95.
“He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree.”
RESOURCES:
“Away in a Manger at Migdal Eder” December 17, 2020, Donna Gawell, retrieved from https://donnagawell.com/2020/12/17/away-in-a-manger-at-migdal-eder/ on 5 December 2024.
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